America vs. The Justice Society
Encyclopedia
America vs. The Justice Society is a four-issue comic book
mini-series
starring the Justice Society of America
which was first published by DC Comics
between January and April 1985
.
The series was written by Roy
and Dann Thomas
and featured artwork from Rafael Kayanan
, Rich Buckler
and Jerry Ordway
among others.
's diary (The pre-Crisis Earth-Two Bruce Wayne had been murdered by a criminal named Bill Jensen prior to this adventure as indicated in this story) which indicated that the Justice Society was guilty of treason
during World War II
and conspired to cover-up their treason after the war was over.
The group is put on trial
and their history is reviewed. All the historical adventures involving the JSA are remembered, and details are added. It eventually reveals that the diary is a hoax created by Batman in an effort to have the JSA apprehend Per Degaton
at a future time that Batman believed he would not be alive for. Degaton is apprehended by the Justice Society, but he apparently commits suicide at the end of the story (though he would return in later stories; these are younger versions of the character, so it may simply be that this fate was still in his future, at least prior to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths
and its follow-up series Infinite Crisis
). This overall premise was inspired by the then-recent revelation that the so-called Hitler Diaries
that had been published were, in fact, fakes.
One major part of the story (#2, "Trial by Congress") depicted the events which surrounded the retirement of the Justice Society in 1951. It showed how the team chose to disband rather than appear in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee
, which demanded that they unmask themselves (this committee was modeled after the real-life U.S. government proceedings in the 1950s that were part of McCarthyism
). Those events were explored in more detail in a story in Adventure Comics
(vol. 1) #466 ("The Defeat of the Justice Society!"; December, 1979) by writer Paul Levitz
, which was the longest (and last) JSA story in Adventure prior to the cancellation of the series. Throughout the series of AvJS, many other past JSA stories were similarly retold as part of the examination of their history which took place at their trial (covering all of their cases originally published in All-Star Comics #'s 3-57, All-Stars revival in the 1970s (#'s 58-74), all of the JLA/JSA team-ups told in the pages of Justice League
to that point, the cases in Adventure, and the cases told in All-Star Squadron
to that point).
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
starring the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
which was first published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
between January and April 1985
1985 in comics
-Year overall:* More independent publishers enter the marketplace: Aircel Comics, Arrow Comics, Blackthorne Publishing, Dragon Lady Press, NOW Comics, Sirius Comics, Strawberry Jam Comics, and Wonder Comics all publish their first titles...
.
The series was written by Roy
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Dann Thomas
Dann Thomas
Danette "Dann" Thomas is a comic book writer, the wife of comic book writer and editor Roy Thomas. She has at times collaborated with Thomas on All-Star Squadron, Arak, Son of Thunder, the Crimson Avenger miniseries and Avengers West Coast.She married Roy Thomas in May 1981 and legally changed her...
and featured artwork from Rafael Kayanan
Rafael Kayanan
Rafael Kayanan is a Filipino-born naturalised American comic book artist and Filipino Martial Arts master in the Sayoc Kali system.-Biography:...
, Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s and, with writer Doug Moench, co-creating the character Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25...
and Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
among others.
Plot
The series was set on Earth-Two and began with the discovery of BatmanBatman (Earth-Two)
The Batman of Earth-Two is a parallel version of the DC Comics superhero, who was introduced after DC Comics created Earth-Two, a parallel world that was retroactively established as the home of characters which had been published in the Golden Age of comic books...
's diary (The pre-Crisis Earth-Two Bruce Wayne had been murdered by a criminal named Bill Jensen prior to this adventure as indicated in this story) which indicated that the Justice Society was guilty of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and conspired to cover-up their treason after the war was over.
The group is put on trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
and their history is reviewed. All the historical adventures involving the JSA are remembered, and details are added. It eventually reveals that the diary is a hoax created by Batman in an effort to have the JSA apprehend Per Degaton
Per Degaton
Per Degaton is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain who can travel through time. Per Degaton made his first appearance in All Star Comics #35 and was created by John Broome and Irwin Hasen...
at a future time that Batman believed he would not be alive for. Degaton is apprehended by the Justice Society, but he apparently commits suicide at the end of the story (though he would return in later stories; these are younger versions of the character, so it may simply be that this fate was still in his future, at least prior to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
and its follow-up series Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
). This overall premise was inspired by the then-recent revelation that the so-called Hitler Diaries
Hitler Diaries
In April 1983, the West German news magazine Stern published excerpts from what purported to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler, known as the Hitler Diaries , which were subsequently revealed to be forgeries...
that had been published were, in fact, fakes.
One major part of the story (#2, "Trial by Congress") depicted the events which surrounded the retirement of the Justice Society in 1951. It showed how the team chose to disband rather than appear in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, which demanded that they unmask themselves (this committee was modeled after the real-life U.S. government proceedings in the 1950s that were part of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
). Those events were explored in more detail in a story in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
(vol. 1) #466 ("The Defeat of the Justice Society!"; December, 1979) by writer Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he has worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles...
, which was the longest (and last) JSA story in Adventure prior to the cancellation of the series. Throughout the series of AvJS, many other past JSA stories were similarly retold as part of the examination of their history which took place at their trial (covering all of their cases originally published in All-Star Comics #'s 3-57, All-Stars revival in the 1970s (#'s 58-74), all of the JLA/JSA team-ups told in the pages of Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
to that point, the cases in Adventure, and the cases told in All-Star Squadron
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
to that point).